STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'checks and balances'?

The federal government collects taxes from states
Citizens vote to check government power
The president balances the federal budget
Each branch of government limits the power of the other branches (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Each branch of government limits the power of the other branches

Checks and balances is a system where each branch of government (legislative, executive, judicial) has powers to limit the other branches.

Question 2: What is the process by which plants make their own food using sunlight?

Respiration
Photosynthesis (Correct answer)
Transpiration
Decomposition

Correct answer: Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the process plants use to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into food (glucose) and oxygen.

Question 3: Which planet is known as the Red Planet?

Jupiter
Venus
Mars (Correct answer)
Saturn

Correct answer: Mars

Mars is called the Red Planet because its surface contains iron oxide (rust), giving it a reddish appearance.

Question 4: What is the term for the movement of large numbers of African Americans from the South to Northern cities between 1910 and 1970?

The Great Migration (Correct answer)
Manifest Destiny
The Trail of Tears
The Dust Bowl migration

Correct answer: The Great Migration

The Great Migration was the movement of approximately six million African Americans from the rural South to urban areas in the North, Midwest, and West seeking better opportunities and escaping racial violence.

Question 5: Choose an answer option that has a synonym for the specified word: small

flexible
big
tiny (Correct answer)
large

Correct answer: tiny

Correct answer: tiny The word "small" means to be little. Tiny is another word that means to be little; thus, tiny is the correct answer.

Question 6: If a passage says 'The dog wagged its tail and barked happily,' how does the dog feel?

Hungry
Scared
Excited and happy (Correct answer)
Sleepy

Correct answer: Excited and happy

Wagging its tail and barking happily show the dog is excited and happy.

Question 7: What type of rock forms when magma cools and hardens?

Metamorphic
Sedimentary
Igneous (Correct answer)
Limestone

Correct answer: Igneous

Igneous rock forms when magma or lava cools and solidifies.

Question 8: Which integer is the opposite of -7?

1/7
0
7 (Correct answer)
-7

Correct answer: 7

The opposite of -7 is 7, because opposites are the same distance from zero on a number line but in different directions.

Question 9: What is 4.25 + 2.6?

6.31
7.15
6.75
6.85 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 6.85

Aligning decimal points: 4.25 + 2.60 = 6.85.

Question 10: What is the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation?

It granted women the right to vote
It declared the freedom of enslaved people in Confederate states during the Civil War (Correct answer)
It established the Bill of Rights
It ended World War I

Correct answer: It declared the freedom of enslaved people in Confederate states during the Civil War

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln in 1863, declared that enslaved people in Confederate states were to be considered free.

Question 11: Determine who the target audience for the following passage is. He had a nose as long as his arm. The trees swayed when he sneezed. A meal may be smelled from a mile away.

party invitation
news bulletin
class short story
class descriptive paragraph (Correct answer)

Correct answer: class descriptive paragraph

Correct answer: class descriptive paragraph The appropriate audience of the following passage is a class descriptive paragraph.

Question 12: Which branch of the U.S. government has the power to declare laws unconstitutional?

Legislative
Military
Executive
Judicial (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Judicial

The judicial branch, led by the Supreme Court, has the power of judicial review to declare laws unconstitutional.

Question 13: Choose the adverb that best completes the sentence presented. The student ran __________ than the teacher.

faster (Correct answer)
All of the choices are corret
fastest
more fast

Correct answer: faster

The sentence uses a comparative structure ('than the teacher'), which requires the comparative form of the adverb. The comparative form of 'fast' is 'faster.' 'More fast' is grammatically incorrect, and 'fastest' is the superlative form, used when comparing three or more items.

Question 14: Which sentence uses a describing word (adjective)?

They jumped
She sang
The fluffy cat slept (Correct answer)
The cat ran

Correct answer: The fluffy cat slept

'Fluffy' is an adjective that describes the cat.

Question 15: What is the least common multiple (LCM) of 4 and 6?

18
12 (Correct answer)
8
24

Correct answer: 12

The multiples of 4 are 4, 8, 12, 16... and multiples of 6 are 6, 12, 18... The smallest common multiple is 12.

Question 16: Which of the following is equivalent to 3/4?

6/10
4/3
9/12 (Correct answer)
2/6

Correct answer: 9/12

9/12 simplifies to 3/4 because both numerator and denominator are multiplied by 3.

Question 17: What does a thermometer measure?

Volume
Mass
Pressure
Temperature (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Temperature

A thermometer measures temperature, typically in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit.

Question 18: Albert came across a stranded and alone young hippo one day! He knows how to care for baby hippos as a game warden. Albert quickly adopted the hippo and gave him the name Jason. Jason quickly made himself at home with his new family, playing with the dogs and even sleeping indoors. Which of the following sentences best explains why Albert was able to care for Jason?

One day, Albert stumbled upon a baby hippo stranded and alone.
Jason quickly settled in with his new family.
As a game warden, Albert knew how to feed baby hippos. (Correct answer)
Soon the stranded hippo was taken in by Albert and given the name Jason.

Correct answer: As a game warden, Albert knew how to feed baby hippos.

Correct answer: As a game warden, Albert knew how to feed baby hippos. Albert can take care of the baby hipos because Albert knew how to feed them.

Question 19: What is the greatest common factor (GCF) of 36 and 48?

18
6
9
12 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 12

The factors of 36 include 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36; factors of 48 include 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 48; the greatest common factor is 12.

Question 20: What is 15% of 200?

15
35
30 (Correct answer)
25

Correct answer: 30

15% of 200 = 0.15 × 200 = 30.

Question 21: What is a 'fact' in a passage?

A guess about the future
Something that can be proven true (Correct answer)
A made-up story
Something someone believes

Correct answer: Something that can be proven true

A fact is something that can be proven to be true.

Question 22: What is the name of the process where water vapor cools and turns back into liquid water?

Transpiration
Condensation (Correct answer)
Evaporation
Precipitation

Correct answer: Condensation

Condensation occurs when water vapor cools and changes back into liquid water, such as water droplets forming on a cold glass.

Question 23: Which layer of Earth is made of liquid rock called magma?

Crust
Mantle
Outer core (Correct answer)
Inner core

Correct answer: Outer core

The outer core is made of liquid iron and nickel, while the mantle contains magma (molten rock).

Question 24: Which economic system is based on private ownership and free markets?

Communism
Capitalism (Correct answer)
Mercantilism
Socialism

Correct answer: Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system where private individuals own businesses and resources, and prices are determined by supply and demand in free markets.

Question 25: Evaluate the expression: 4 + 3² × 2

22 (Correct answer)
50
26
18

Correct answer: 22

Following order of operations: 3² = 9, then 9 × 2 = 18, then 4 + 18 = 22.

Question 26: Which of the following is a producer in an ecosystem?

Frog
Grass (Correct answer)
Eagle
Grasshopper

Correct answer: Grass

Grass is a producer because it makes its own food through photosynthesis using sunlight.

Question 27: What type of energy does a moving car have?

Chemical energy
Potential energy
Nuclear energy
Kinetic energy (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Kinetic energy

A moving car has kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion.

Question 28: What is the least common multiple (LCM) of 4 and 6?

10
24
2
12 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 12

The multiples of 4 are 4, 8, 12... and of 6 are 6, 12...; the least common multiple is 12.

Question 29: What is a primary source?

A documentary film about history
A textbook chapter summarizing historical events
A historian's analysis of past events
An original document or artifact from the time period being studied (Correct answer)

Correct answer: An original document or artifact from the time period being studied

A primary source is an original document, artifact, or firsthand account created at the time of the event being studied.

Question 30: How many lines of symmetry does a regular hexagon have?

8
6 (Correct answer)
4
3

Correct answer: 6

A regular hexagon has 6 lines of symmetry, one through each pair of opposite vertices and one through each pair of opposite sides.

Question 31: When an author uses exaggeration to create emphasis or humor, it is called what?

Irony
Oxymoron
Hyperbole (Correct answer)
Allusion

Correct answer: Hyperbole

Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or humorous effect, such as 'I've told you a million times.'

Question 32: What is the main function of the circulatory system?

To digest food
To support the body's frame
To transport blood throughout the body (Correct answer)
To filter waste from the blood

Correct answer: To transport blood throughout the body

The circulatory system's main function is to pump and transport blood, nutrients, and oxygen throughout the body.

Question 33: What is the theme of a story?

The setting where the story takes place
The main message or lesson the author conveys (Correct answer)
The conflict between characters
The sequence of events in the plot

Correct answer: The main message or lesson the author conveys

Theme is the central message, lesson, or insight about life that the author conveys through the story.

Question 34: A train travels 240 miles in 4 hours. What is its average speed in miles per hour?

60 mph (Correct answer)
40 mph
80 mph
50 mph

Correct answer: 60 mph

Speed = distance ÷ time = 240 ÷ 4 = 60 mph.

Question 35: A rectangle has a length of 8 inches and a width of 5 inches. What is the area?

40 square inches (Correct answer)
13 square inches
45 square inches
26 square inches

Correct answer: 40 square inches

Area of a rectangle equals length × width, so 8 × 5 = 40 square inches.

Question 36: Which word best replaces the vague word 'nice' in this sentence: 'The food tasted nice'?

Pleasant
Delicious (Correct answer)
Good
Fine

Correct answer: Delicious

'Delicious' is more specific and vivid than 'nice,' giving the reader a clearer picture of how the food tasted.

Question 37: Which event directly triggered the United States' entry into World War II?

The invasion of Poland
The fall of France
The bombing of Pearl Harbor (Correct answer)
The sinking of the Lusitania

Correct answer: The bombing of Pearl Harbor

Japan's surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, led the U.S. to declare war and enter WWII.

Question 38: What is 7,000 + 400 + 60 + 3 written in standard form?

7,643
7,463 (Correct answer)
7,436
7,364

Correct answer: 7,463

7,000 + 400 + 60 + 3 = 7,463 in standard form.

Question 39: Which adaptation helps a cactus survive in the desert?

Long roots that stay near the surface
Hollow stems that collect rain
Large, broad leaves
Thick waxy skin to store water (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Thick waxy skin to store water

Cacti have thick, waxy stems that store water, helping them survive long periods without rain.

Question 40: What was the Reconstruction period in U.S. history?

The period after the Civil War focused on reintegrating Southern states and addressing rights of formerly enslaved people (Correct answer)
The rebuilding of the economy after the Great Depression
The period following WWII when the U.S. helped rebuild Europe
The rebuilding of cities after natural disasters

Correct answer: The period after the Civil War focused on reintegrating Southern states and addressing rights of formerly enslaved people

Reconstruction (1865–1877) was the post-Civil War period in which the U.S. government worked to reintegrate Confederate states and define the rights of freed enslaved people.

STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness)

The STAAR is the state standardized testing program in Texas for grades 3-8 and end-of-course high school exams, assessing students in mathematics, reading language arts, science, and social studies.

Questions

240 min

Time Limit

40%

To Pass

Checking for saved progress...

Exam Rules

You can skip questions and return to them later
Flag questions for review before submitting
No feedback shown until you submit the entire exam
Unanswered questions count as wrong — answer everything
10 pretest questions are mixed in and don't affect your score
Timer auto-submits when time runs out
Your progress is auto-saved every 30 seconds